Paradigm Personas: A First Listen


I thought starting a new thread would be more appropriate since it would allow for a more focused discussion.

I have Paradigm S8v2s and have owned them, since new, for 8 years.  I have lived with them happily and when I bought them I knew they were going to be a long term purchase.  Cables, sources etc may come and go but big speakers are harder to find, harder to move and sell (I think).  I found a local dealer (the only one in BC so far) that has the entire Persona line; except the 7F.  They had the 9H, 5F, 3F and Monitor.  I got to hear all of them.  The 9H was in a dedicated room set up for home theatre.  The others were in a 2 channel only system.  Preamp/source was a Cambridge Audio preamp with a media player built in, Wadia Class D amps.  System was nice, sounded good and not the "highest end" you would expect, but more real world.  I took along a CD of Parijat: Prayer to Love (excellent CD BTW.  Highly recommended and wonderfully recorded).  I am very familiar with the CD.  My system has its own room, Luxman Class A amps, Luxman preamp, Bryston DAC, Nordost and Wirewizard Cables.  I think my system has an edge on electronics, but I will leave that out as I think that is splitting hairs.

First speaker I heard was the 5F.  The first thing that is immediate is the midrange and treble purity, clarity, integration, smoothness and extension.  I definitely say there is no discontinuity between the mid/tweeter.  Having a Beryllium tweeter myself I know what to expect, and the 5F did not disappoint.  The sound was relaxed, clear, focused with excellent detail.  No harshness, grain, etch or sibilance at all.  Imaging was also excellent; focused, wide and deep with good height.  Note that the 5F, 3F were right beside each other and the Monitors on stands right beside the 3's.  They were in an open room not a dedicated room, so I could only suspect the speakers would sound better as the environment would get better.  In short, the tweeter/mid was superb.  The best I have heard.  I would give the edge to the Persona's over my S8's in this regard, but given the mid and tweeter are both Beryllium they are going to have identical resonances on the fact the material is the same; it will be homogenous.  The S8 is no slouch, so the differences are small, but I give the Persona the edge here.  And I like my S8's.  I have not felt wanting.

The description for the mid/tweeter is identical for each model; there was no difference, perhaps a slight difference for the Monitor but its limited lower end might of SEEMED things to be more clear/detailed.  Hard to say.  Bottom end on the 9H was robust, to be polite, but to be expected too.....4 8 inch cones internally powered...I think a subwoofer here would be redundant in all but the largest rooms to be sure.  But the snap, punch and detail were excellent.  Moving to the 5 and 3, the bottom end was not as prodigious but still extended and tuneful.  Detail was excellent but to be expected the 5 was more pronounced than the 3.  I think both (and the Monitor for sure) would benefit from a sub, but I leave that to the reader's personal taste.  There was no evidence of port noise or discontinuity of any type.  Unfortunately, I have yet to find out (if you would like to bi amp) WHERE the biamp crossover is.  I found out the hard way on my S8 it is between the tweeter/mid, not the mid/bass as you would expect.  This would allow for a Class A or tube amp on the all important mid/tweeter and a robust amp for the bottom end.  I would like Paradigm to be clear on this point as finding out the hard way for me was costly.  I let a good Bryston amp go for no reason other than the fact it was not able to work in my system as planned.  

I suppose the real question is this:  are they worth it?  Well, I thought about my own system on the drive home, and since my system's weak point is NOT the speakers, I would, for me, not buy or let my S8 go unless someone gave me a good offer.  The logistics of selling speakers that are 4 feet tall, almost 2 feet deep and 100lbs is not a small feat, and shipping (unless local pickup) will be expensive.  I bought the S8 knowing it was going to be with me for a long time, and in fact I would rather keep them since they are so good (to me).   But I would buy the Personas for sure.  The high end purity and midrange clarity, coherence and detail are so good I was floored by how good it was.  Bottom end weight and volume is a personal preference, and adding subs obviates the comparison there, as either the 5 or 3 would be a killer system with subs.  I had extended time with the 5 and 3 and the jump in price between the two makes sense if the sub is out of the equation.  I think the added bottom end on the 5 could easily be made up with the 3 and a good sub, think JL Audio f112, e110 or e112.  An outboard crossover as part of the deal would be stating the obvious (in fact the JL Audio CR 1 crossover is what I am eyeing next.  With this, should some time down the road come I decide to jump up to the Personas finances permitting, it would greatly affect what Persona I get).  But by then I might have a different room so whom knows, but so long as the flexibility is there you have options.  I was hoping to see the 7F but the 9H is almost identical in  size.  Considering the competition they are up against I think they hold very well.  Making a matching Beryllium tweeter and mid is no small feat, and costly to boot.  Moreover, Paradigm's size and economy of scale is such that you get more than you pay for, this has been a Paradigm hallmark.  A smaller company could bring out a matched Beryllium set, perhaps, but at what cost?  I can see why the Persona line costs more, but after seeing them and listening to them, I don't feel at all that they are overpriced or outrageous.  Obviously the sound is what counts, but there is more to it than that.  I honestly think you get what you pay for; the real trick is finding the goods out there that go a step further and really offer the "diamond in the rough".  For me personally, the cost and logistics of selling my current speakers is not something I can do right now.  But if I could, I would have no issue owning a Performa.  The 7F is what I have sought my sights on, but the 5F is no slouch.  As a smaller speaker, there is little to fault the 3F and add in a sub (or two)....watch out.  Even without subs, the 5 and the 3 are more than pleasant, and in a enclosed room where there is room reinforcement......it would be interesting to know.

Pictures do not do the speakers justice.  They are gorgeous.  Fit and finish is superb, certainly better than my S8. The lenses are really trick.  I don't think there should be any trouble with the WAF but their styling is a bit modern, some might not like it.  The room presence is not nearly as strong as you would think; the S8 being so deep and narrow hides in the room well.  The Personas do as well, but are so gorgeous you don't want to hide them.  You would think the 9H to be imposing, but that is not the case, especially if you are use to bigger speakers anyway.

I am very impressed and happy that the "step up" Paradigm has made has been done well, with thought, focus and obvious results.  As to relative to what is out there, especially to what I have heard, they compete favourable with much more expensive speakers, and I have heard Focals (which is another brand I like because, surprise, they have a Beryllium tweeter).  I just think the matching tweeter/mid, especially at the price, is hard to beat.  And I am sure that the better the gear upstream would only help the sound.  The 5Fs or 3Fs in my system with the gear I have would be very interesting.

Who knows what the year brings.  I give the Personas the highest recommendation, and this is from someone whom has owned a good pair for years without complaint.  If anyone is thinking of trying out a pair I urge you to do so if possible before making any decisions.  Paradigm, with the Personas, has truly evolved into a high end brand, and deserves consideration as such.  

 
128x128blackfly
Thanks Audiotroy!

It`s very interesting info. I`m based in Europe and will probably try some newer T+A gear soon. So far I`ve been a big Pass and Burmester fan. Earlier T+A had a bit of mass market product reputation. Certainly a high-end but not quite a Burmester or MBL for Germans.
It seems that things are changed now, especially with their newer HV and R lines.
sujay
said it all, almost.

Sorry I’m late on this one but am seriously interested in new, or at least, new to me speakers within the $10K to $25K range for a future build hopefully by end of year, but likely not till next. Until then, its merely due diligence with Sonus Faber, Focal, Magico S line, and now these Personnas.

Given the spec sheets, Personas seem a very likely landing spot for a totally tube powered and controlled outfit, which is what I think I want to put together this time in a fully balanced setup.

Naturally, the obvious thing is I’ll have to hear them first, regardless the front end driving them. Metallic drivers have always seemed to put me off somehow, except in the most expensive of loudspeakers being pushed by very nice gear. But keeping an open mind is always beneficial in the very subjective wild and wooly audio world.

Its always great to see someone do something to infuse value and performance simultaneously into new products being set onto the audio landscape.

Apart from the Personna’s lineup possibly heightened performance to cost ratio, Paradigm has a huge obstacle to overcome as the direct result of their own inherent decades old building and marketing philosophy, namely “being mentioned now in the same breath as mainstream top tier speaker makers”. Not too many folks usually do that.

Currently what comes to mind when someone says ‘Paradigm’? IMHO, it sure ain’t a solution for anyone seeking SOTA high end performance in the loudspeaker realm. Even the Studio lineup merely tapped on the door of better fashioned and performing speakerage, but missed cornering a strong market share or doing much better than getting a foot into the door just into more performance than value oriented . speakers.

Changing many minds about their perception of Paradigm as an alternative solution for speakers priced north of $8K or so is their most immediate battle.

.although Paradigm is promulgating much info on Youtube regarding R&D of the Personna line, they ain’t following the usual marketing trends by flooding magazines and online reviewers listening rooms with product.

Somehow, I don’t feel presently that Paradigm went ‘all in’ though. I think they went ‘almost’ all in. I hope I’m wrong but I just ain’t feeling it.

Example, their in the ‘7’ model, it well could have had one amp vs. the twins onboard the model ‘9H’, handling the woofers. A likely upgrade path for the 7F v.2 or 7F v.3 series, yet to come.

Is the PPA grill actually needed or how does it truly affect the sound, on or off of the associated driver?

Having been quite removed from the audio world by and large for health and other pressing concerns in recent years, I’m astonished as to what has transpired since the ‘‘Obomonomics bail out’ as it affected especially high end audio. Prices have not just soared into the upper atmospheres, but have bought a ticket on the X flights to space.

Viewing the Nordost odin 2 price sheet is not something one with a weak heart should do before breakfast.

OMG. Wow. $30K power cords! Entire system Ground blocks? Sheesh.

Without a ‘wink wink accomodation’ merely wiring an entire system can run well over $100K if one so desires, which gives me an immense jolt of amusement.

…and yeah, I believe wires are important but I’d not put a couple of new Tesla’s into the wiring loom even if I could afford it.

Never before have I seen the use of cabling wherein I need to read an owners manual before I begin, or have one of these cable makers engineers personally come in to configure the cable hook ups.

Pretty regularly I refuse to read about, or listen to much of what I can not afford unless it just so happens it is at either an acquaintance home or its a take a peek at what could be, in a show room I was at entertaining some new to me device already.

We should look upon Paradigm’s latest endeavor as a breath of fresh air being cast into the insanity of high and ultra high end audio’s present aspirations to cater to the top economics percentiles . sure, the ‘trickle down’ effect is in play, but ordinarily the trickle is a pretty small stream by the time you’re into the $20K and under or well under, range of todays audio gear’s retail pricing. Especially regarding speakers.

Just because a facsimile of a X over or some portion of a tweeter or other driver appears to be in the latest $10K offering is not sufficient to make a lot of folks break their hands getting their wallets out. The Personnas might just change things some on that note.

Competition is what truly makes for us as buyers, music lovers, and fine craftsmanship aficionados, more affordable means to our predisposed ends. Paradigm will not only have to be an overachiever in build quality and technology but aggressive with their marketing as well, if they expect to get the likes of Sonus faber, Wilson, Focal, and others attention that a new kid is definitely on the block and other’s need now to be wary. It seems they are definitely on the right track now to do just that.

Paradigm almost all in attack following their S line, seems the next obvious step towards being at least competitive in a new to them, arena. They’re launch of a new platform which is not beyond re-evaluation or redress in terms of upgrades, is smart and in keeping with former ventures.

In the interim, I’m gonna applaud paradigm for making this effort regarless where it winds up landing.

The only true aspiration a dedicated card carrying audiophile (nut) should pursue is attainable illusionary reality, or A.I.R., regardless the brand name or cost of the appliances as being the normal former guidelines.

Not only should audio enthusiasts carry along their Lps and CDs into the show rooms, they should spend a few bucks for a nice sleeping mask so they can’t see either. That is of course, until the audition is complete. Egos need be checked at the door. Esthetics alone simply can’t be the sole arbiter for speaker purchases. Ever. Neither should it be value. It has to be ‘attainable synergistic en masse performance. Always.

Sure, speakers have a larger esthetic impact on the home than will little boxes, but provided one finds a pleasing form and color scheme, once run in, who is seriously listening with the lights on anyhow?

I’m anxious to see how the Personna lineup fares with tube power, below the model 9. And, what or how soon Paradigm will serve up their next variation on the F series, which is also, exactly within their philosophical heritage. Hope to hear some of the F line asap. Good luck Paradigm!

For what it is worth. I had the signature s8 v2 with the signature centre and the sub2. 

I have purchased the persona 7f for fronts and I have 2 sets of the 3f for sides and rears. 

Lets stick to stereo for my comments here ......

I am using a Bryston bdp3 transport device with a Jeff Rowland aeris Dac into a Conrad Johnson gat1 pre amp into my audio research monoblocks to drive the 7fs. 

All i I can say is that it is the best stereo setup I have heard. It ablitirates the signature series by miles. No comparison. 

Getald 
I finally got to hear the Personas today, at a couple of locations in Dallas.  I first stopped into Stellar A/V and, although it was not a closed room and was open to the rest of the store, this was the best listening room I visited today.   The other good thing was that the 3Fs were the only speakers in the room, unlike my later audition at another location.  The system included a McIntosh CD player, McIntosh A/V processor, and McIntosh multi-channel amp.  Balanced connections used.  

I'd say the sound was pretty impressive and the 3F might be big enough for me, as I am not a super bass guy.  The highs and mids were extremely detailed, and the 3Fs rendered a nice sound stage and imaging.  Vocals were excellent.  Despite the incredible detail and articulation of the highs, I did not note any excessive sibilance. I was quite surprised at the depth of bass produced.  I mean really deep for the size of the speaker.  I do think this did have something to do with the quality of the electronics.  Everything was just coherent and tight.

Who knew that Nebraska Furniture Mart was a high end audio shop?  Well, perhaps some of you, but I had no idea.  I stopped into their Plano, TX store, and they have all sorts of high end speakers, including Personas, Revel Ultima 2, and Martin Logan ESL.  Unfortunately, there is a lot of noise there and they have multiple speakers in every room. I focused on their high end room, which had the Persona 9H and Revel Ultima 2 side by side.  Both sounded great, but quite different from each other.  The 9H went first, and exhibited the same extreme treble and mid range clarity as I'd earlier heard from the 3F.  Next up, the Revel sounded totally different, with what I guess you might call a much more laid back sound, although I could still hear plenty of detail.  The music was not bass heavy, so I couldn't really make a judgement on bass quality. 

Considering the price range we're looking at with Persona, I'd like to hear them again, before making any decisions.  It's too bad there is now such a dearth of quality retail locations.  I'm currently thinking I'll head to AXPONA in April so that I can hear more from the Persona, as well as other competitors in that price range.
@mtrot Wow, I never knew NFM had an audio shop inside. Good to know, will check out the Plano location. I'm assuming it's the same one near 121 and Legacy?